Analysts were
expecting claims to fall to 290,000, slightly down from
295,00o the
prior week.

The four-week
average of initial claims was 283,750, a decrease of 1,250 from
the previous week's revised average.

The four-week
moving average was 2,290,750, a decrease of 18,500 from the
previous week's revised average. This is the lowest level for
this average since December 23, 2000.

"The
trend in claims, below the pre-recession trough, continues to
impress and runs counter to the disappointment we saw in the
March payrolls report, suggesting that report’s weakness may have
been a blip in an otherwise solid trend," according to
Derek Lindsey of BNP Paribas.